


The Dawn We Gazed At

by dia_dove



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, M/M, Master/Pet, tbh i have no idea how to tag this lol, will tag as I go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 12:26:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16723392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dia_dove/pseuds/dia_dove
Summary: The hybrid live in a world of discrimination and inhuman-treatment. Like animals they are collared and caged all for the entertainment of humans.Eiji Okumura is a rookie reporter who wants to change that. Maybe a fated meeting with a particularly feisty hybrid can help him along the way.





	The Dawn We Gazed At

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Good boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14783688) by [Save1410](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Save1410/pseuds/Save1410). 



> So this fic was inspired by a BNHA one I read (check it out if you get the chance.)~ Wanted to try my own spin on the concept.
> 
> *Again this is one of those fics I have had sitting in a folder and decided to post while I wait for SIL to be betad. ^^  
> **No beta for this. My apologies for any mistakes.

“A pet?” Eiji blinks, turning to face Ibe as he shrugs off his beige jacket and lays it on the back of his office chair. “I thought that they weren’t allowed here in Japan. It was deemed a violation against human rights, so to speak.”

“It is. But there are still plenty of countries that haven’t caught up. Or don’t want to catch up. Hell, in the United States they’re almost as common as a cat or dog. The whole culture around them is fascinating— in the worst way possible.” The older man sits in his chair, spinning it toward his computer and clicking it on. He hits a few keys then scoots out of the way for Eiji to see the screen. The young man swallows as he scans it. Bobcats, panthers, shark, hawk...All kinds of hybrid breeds. There are so many varied species it’s almost abnormal. Especially considering that until about thirty years ago, the only known hybrids were canines. Now there are pages and pages of different breeds. All laid out in an online catalog. All for sale. A sale that on the surface looks more like a human auction than anything. Which makes staring at it all the more sickening. To Eiji, hybrids looked like humans. They had human faces and forms. There are times when a hybrid’s qualities are obvious. Such as the thin slit eyes of some reptilian breeds. Or the beautiful scales that pepper the face of some fish species.

Ibe pulls a slip of paper from the file cabinet by his desk. “They breed them in the states too. At least that’s what they’ve been trying to do.”

“What!” Eiji’s eyes go wide in horror at the notion. “That’s disgusting. What are they even hoping to achieve from that?”

“My guess, more hybrids.”

The younger man rolls his eyes, shifting in his chair. “It doesn’t even work like that. Most hybrids are infertile. Those that can don’t often make it far in the pregnancy. And even if they do there are tons of cases of the hybrid gene not carrying over.”

Another fact that makes Eiji’s skin crawl. They treat hybrids like animals yet will more than eagerly take their children who aren’t deemed as such and lock away those that are.

“They’re even attempting cross breeding different species.” Ibe speaks with disgust in his voice.

“That’s impossible.”

“Well when has that ever stopped people from trying the impossible. They have research facilities. Government funded and everything. Crossbreeding, breeding, it’s all being done now. The hybrids aren’t even given a choice.”

Eiji feels sick to his stomach. “That’s horrible.”

“Japan, South America, South Korea, Africa and almost all of Europe have given hybrids human rights. The United States hasn’t even considered it. They’re ‘not human’ so they don’t get human rights. They’re treated like no more than animals. Mothers who give birth to hybrids often sell them once they find out. If they keep the baby it’s only ever for raising it as a pet. Not a child. It’s a horrible practice.” He gives pause, rubbing his temples then sighs. “There are of course exceptions. A few activist groups working hard to change the law but...it doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“So why are you bringing this up so suddenly?” Eiji turns away from the screen. He doesn’t want to see this anymore. Doesn’t want to think of all the horrors the hybrids have to face from just being born different. “I thought we were going to spend the day chasing that political story you mentioned.”

“Because the magazine is doing a whole issue on it, and I’ve been put in charge.”

Eiji’s mouth drops. “What?”

“A whole issue.” A smile crosses Ibe’s face. “That’s about 32 pages of pictures and articles detailing the truth about hybrid life in America. It’s a huge break in my career and it’s promising to be one of the most important issues in recent years.”

Eiji clasps his hands together. “I’m so happy for you. When do you leave? What is your plan? Where will you be?” He can’t help but ask question after question. He’s proud of Ibe. Happy for him. Ibe’s like a father to him. He was there in support when Eiji was at his lowest and helped him make sense of the world around him. Enough so that Eiji was able to crawl out of a deep depression and get a job with the magazine. He’s a rookie journalist, but a journalist nonetheless.

“And you’re coming with me.” Ibe adds on so casually it takes Eiji a moment to realize what he’s said.

“What!” His eyes go wide.

“What would I do without my assistant?” He beams, digging into his black messenger bag on the floor and pulling out a manilla envelope. He passes it to Eiji. “Inside is your plane ticket and passport. As well as all the info you’ll need about what we will be doing. We have a loose itinerary and tons of information about the facility we’ll be focussed on.”

Eiji clenches the envelope tightly. “You’re serious? There are people who have been here longer than me and—”

“You’re the best I have and there is no way I’m leaving you here. We’re going to get the scoop of a lifetime. All expenses paid of course considering we are being sponsored.”

Eiji can’t hide his excitement. “Where will we be staying? How long?”

“New York! And that depends on us. But I can tell you that I have gotten us a nice two room apartment in the center of town. Not far from the facility or the adoption office. The biggest one in the states.”

The younger man stands. Despite the subject, Eiji is more than eager to dip his toes into the story. Maybe they actually can make a difference in the lives of the hybrids. Maybe their story could bring to light all the wrong doings in the United States, and finally put a stop to that disgusting practice of treating them like animals. Even if they couldn’t do much. They could at least do something!

Eiji slams back into his chair, swiveling around to his computer and booting it up. He better get started now.

.

.

.

The day they leave, Eiji is overcome with excitement. So much in fact that he gets a little sick on the plane ride and has to nod off to make it through the rest of the flight. When he’s not sleeping he’s thinking about their purpose. About the hybrids…

Hybrids are, without a doubt, the most talked about subject across the world. Half human, half animal to put it simply. Though the actual chemical balance in the body is far more complicated than that.

Some countries worship the hybrids, believing them to be gods or spirits. Others live in fear of them. Then there are places like the united states, where the hybrids are treated like common house pets. ‘Owners’ parade them around the streets. Sometimes nude, sometimes muzzled. A large majority of them never even learn to read or write, though they are capable of doing so. People treat them as though they are unintelligent, oblivious to the world around them. But there is no denying that they are just as capable as humans. If not more so.

Eiji is thankful it’s different in Japan. He couldn’t imagine living in such a culture.

Though that culture is exactly what’s got him on this plane.

He gets chills at the thought. This would be a challenge, certainly. But the good work they could do here is worth it. Hybrids deserve to be free. They deserve to have rights. 

 

Customs is surprisingly quick and they get their luggage even quicker. After a twenty minute taxi ride and one stop to the nearest burger joint they arrive at their apartment. It’s a nice looking complex cramped between two equally nice looking buildings. There is an elevator, and to Eiji that’s all that really matters. They had a lot of equipment they would be lugging back and forth in the job and there was no way he was going to last if he had to take the stairs too. 

Eiji chooses his room, the one closest to the bathroom with a big window on the back wall.

The two spend the entirety of the first day organizing the rooms, stocking the kitchen and setting up their computers in the family room.

“We’ll do all our editing and what not here.” He points to one side of the room. “Over here we can handle all the photos and arrangements. We already have our pages mapped out now it’s all just getting the information and filling it in.”

“We have our first meeting scheduled for tomorrow, right?” Eiji pulls out his phone and clicks it open to the calendar. “At 9AM we have to be over at the Golzine facility for the tour.”

“Right. Tomorrow is all about meeting everyone we will be interviewing and shadowing for the next couple of months. Then we can do lunch before going back and getting the grand tour. Most of what we’ll be doing is observation.”

“What kind of observations will we be doing over the next couple of months?”

“In general? A little bit of everything. Grooming, training, exercise, breeding. We’ll talk legal stuff and community feedback. We are covering it all really.”

Eiji’s cheeks go red. “Breeding?” Like...breeding breeding? Like sex? God, he doesn’t want to think about it.

“I don’t like the thought either. But we can’t avoid that topic if we want to cover everything. The facility has already agreed at our observations.”

Eiji raises a brow. “Why would they? Don’t they think this article could have a negative impact on their research. They can’t be completely oblivious to our long term goal.” Eiji sits himself on the couch, crossing his ankles and leaning back.

“Maybe they’re cocky. They don’t think our business here will have any effect.” Ibe sighs and crosses his arms. “Just think about the culture here. Think about how many hybrids we’ve seen since we landed.”

Eiji’s stomach turns in the thought. The moment they had walked out of the airport they had been everywhere. Draped in nothing more than thin cloth, collars snapped around their necks. 

“If you get uncomfortable at any time I will not require you to be there.”

“I’m fine I just...it’s going to be a lot to take in.”

“That goes for all of us. But hopefully once this project is finished…”

Eiji nods without even needing to hear the rest. It’s not just a once in a lifetime project. It’s a possibility for change. A possibility to make a difference. Hybrids aren’t animals. They aren’t pets. They deserve so much more.

Eiji feels a fire spark inside of him. Now more than ever he’s excited to get this whole project started.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed~  
> You can follow me on my social media~ I post lots of goodies and bonus stuff on them.  
> Tumblr:iceprincess-yuri  
> Twitter:dia-dove


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